Iran's Foreign Minister Expresses Discontent Over Azerbaijani Statements

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian has expressed discontent regarding the inappropriate treatment of Iranian drivers by Azerbaijani border guards, particularly in relation to the detention of two drivers, during the acceptance of the credentials of Azerbaijan's newly appointed ambassador, Ali Alizadeh.

According to Armenpress, citing the official website of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Abdollahian described the negative statements coming from Azerbaijan as surprising and regrettable.

He noted that conducting military exercises is a sovereign right of countries and, pointing to the actions of the Zionist regime near Iran's borders, added: "Iran does not tolerate the presence and activities of the Zionist regime against its national security and will take any necessary measures in this regard." The ambassador, in turn, expressed hope that recent events would be settled through dialogue between officials from both countries, as stated in the message.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed surprise during an interview with the Turkish Anadolu agency regarding the military exercises conducted by Iranian armed forces near the border with Azerbaijan. "In the 30 years of our independence, such an event has not occurred. First of all, I must say that every country has the right to conduct any military exercise on its territory, as it is its sovereign right. But when we analyze this within the temporal framework, we see that this has never happened before. Why now and why at our border? This question is not just posed by me, but by Azerbaijani society," said Aliyev.

Aliyev characterized the actions of Iranian military personnel as an "emotional reaction" to Azerbaijan's decision to charge Iranian truck drivers a "road tax" on the Armenia-Iran interstate road.